Boro Women aim the end the year with a bang as they head to Chorley in their final game of 2023.
Michael Mulhern's side return from a break from the action, having not played since their emphatic 6-0 win over FC United of Manchester which also marked their third win on the bounce. The girls were in fine form before the gap in fixtures, having won four games out of six in the league leaving them third in the table, just four points off league leaders Hull City Ladies.
Almost halfway through the season, the league table is starting to take shape and Mulhern's side are looking stronger as the weeks go by with the second-best defence in the league, only beaten by Barnsley Women FC who sit joint top and have lost just once so far.
Michael Mulhern's Pre-Match Quotes
"I'll always get hard work, that's a given and that's expected. It's the standard we set in the summer. I expect three points, but I say that every week. We play to win, if you aim high and you miss a little bit then fair enough, but if you aim for mediocrity then you won't get anything better than that. So I expect a win."
"We're almost halfway through the season now and it's going really well, we're up there and we're up with a fight. It's about progression, little steps, and if we progress this season and we're somewhere near the shake-up come April then great, if not, then there's no panic because I know we are a better team than we were last year."
The Opposition
Chorley sit seventh in the table, seven points behind Boro Women and will be looking to turn their form around this weekend after losing their last two league games against Doncaster Rovers Belles and Stockport County. Chorley have been without key members of their squad as of late, but will look to put on a strong performance on home turf. Chorley's Ellie Cook will be a player to keep an eye on, having won the last two Player of the Match awards for Chorley despite the poor results of late.
Recent results
Middlesbrough league form: W W W D D
Last game: Middlesbrough 6-0 FC United of Manchester
Season record: 5(W) 3(D) 1(L)
League position: 3rd
Chorley Women FC league form: L L W D D
Last game: Doncaster Rovers Belles 2-1 Chorley Women FC
Season record: 3(W) 2(D) 3(L)
League position: 7th
Previous encounters:
The two sides last met in January on Chorley's home patch in the FAWNL Division One North, where a late goal from Grace Foy meant Boro fell to a 2-1 loss on the day. Youngster Amber Rodgers bagged Boro's only goal. Boro last won against Chorley in the reverse league fixture back in August 2022 at the MAP Group Stadium, where Simone Laverick, Jess Mett, Eve Marshall and Brooke Newton all scored in an entertaining game which finished 4-2.
What competition? FAWNL Division One North
When is it? Sunday 17 December, 2pm
Where is it? Blainsough Park, Coppull, Chorley, PR7 5EJ
Can we follow along? If you can't make it to the game, follow Boro Women on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates from Chorley and head over to mfc.co.uk afterwards for match report and reaction.